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Police continue searching Scarborough and Mississauga after body parts found

A coroner has been called in to examine a bag containing “suspicious” fleshy material discovered near the spot where possible human remains were found Saturday.

A Toronto police officer prepares to open a bag found in Scarborough's Hiighland Creek Sunday. Police later described the bags contents as "suspicious." (DALE BRAZAO / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

Toronto police cordon off an area along West Highland Creek on Aug. 18, near Sheppard Ave. E. and Kennedy Rd., after suspected human remains were found. (RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

By Karissa Donkin and Dale Brazao Staff Reporters

Sun., Aug. 19, 2012

Police continue to search the area around a creek in Scarborough while waiting for a coroner’s report on whether “suspicious” fleshy material discovered this weekend belonged to a human.

Toronto police’s public safety unit has cordoned off the area around West Highland Creek near Sheppard Ave. E. and Kennedy Rd., close to Tam O’Shanter golf course, after possible human remains were found both Saturday and Sunday. One of the discoveries was made by a Toronto Star reporter.

The coroner was on the scene Sunday and inspected the area with officers before retreating to a forensics truck.

An hour and a half after the coroner left, officers wrapped something up in white paper just beyond a fence separating homes from the wooded area the creek runs through. They carried it with blue gloves to an unmarked van and slid it under a red blanket.

Earlier Sunday, a grey plastic bag containing what appeared to be remains of some kind was found by a Star reporter who was photographing search teams in the area. Police were immediately notified.

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The grey bag was about 100 metres south of Saturday’s find, which was near Cardwell Ave. and Kennedy. Police immediately expanded the cordon and brought in dog teams to search the banks of the creek.

“It’s certainly suspicious. That’s why we’ve sealed off the area and turned it over to forensics,” Sgt. Doug Minor, who was helping to co-ordinate search efforts in the area, said about the contents of the grey bag. “Once we find something like that, we don’t touch it again. Let’s just say it’s suspicious.”

The Toronto discoveries come as Peel police continue to search Hewick Meadows Park in Mississauga, where a severed right foot, head and two hands were discovered late last week.

No Peel police officers were on scene in Scarborough Sunday evening but Toronto police Const. Wendy Drummond said the two forces remain in close contact.

On Saturday, Cameron Janes said he came across what appeared to be remains on a rock about 1.5 metres in front of where West Highland Creek runs under Cardwell Ave. He was looking for golf balls.

When he noticed bones sticking out, he took two pictures with his cellphone and rushed up the bank to call 911.

“It just looked like it had been cut with a hacksaw,” said Janes.

He thinks the remains are part of a human leg.

“The stains on the rocks just made it look like it had been there a while.”

Telfea Gray, who lives in a condo building near the scene, won’t walk alone anymore.

“It’s not supposed to happen close to home,” she said.

Some neighbours said the creek isn’t well travelled, but is known as a place to drink and do drugs.

People living in the area aren’t used to this much attention, much like people living in the quiet residential neighbourhood near Hewick Meadows Park in Mississauga.

Peel police have said they believe the remains found near the banks of the Credit River all belong to a female who was a victim of foul play. They’re still trying to identify the remains and are looking at missing persons cases within Peel region and beyond.

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